The Associated Student Body at Manson High School deliver an award to Andrea Whitney, who received $1,550 to purchase xylophones for her music class.

Manson Giving Great Grants

On Friday, January 31st, the Associated Student Body at Manson High School traveled classroom to classroom to award $10,000 in Manson Giving Great Grants (G3) to 14 teachers at Manson schools.

Established by Manson donors Jack and Gale Courtney in 2008, Manson G3 is a special fund managed by the Community Foundation of North Central Washington that provides an opportunity for students to become grantmakers.

Each year in December, Manson teachers begin applying to the grant for classroom needs or special projects. The Associated Student Body (ASB) then convenes to review applications and determine award recipients.

While Community Foundation staff help facilitate the process, the students have thoughtful debate and discussion over the needs and priorities of their school and make the final decisions on who receives funding.

“The Manson G3 grant program is an outstanding example of ‘learning by doing'” said Denise Sorom, director community philanthropy at the foundation. “The students told me that making the G3 award decisions is one of the most challenging projects that they face as ASB leaders.

I’ve watched them grapple with the tough questions of what projects were most deserving, who submitted a realistic budget, and how many students would be impacted by any particular project. These are the same questions that the staff and board of the Community Foundation face when we are evaluating our grant applications.”

Not only is this a significant learning experience for the students, it also provides the school with some engaging projects that really make a difference in the learning environment along with some helpful financial support.

“These funds have made a huge impact on learning” said Manson Schools Principal, Don Vanderholm. “There is something almost magical about the creativity these grants have inspired in our district. Suddenly, it’s possible to think outside the box and go there. Furthermore, we see teachers going for other grants because of the success they’ve experienced with the G3s.”

This year’s award recipients are:

• Andrea Whitney – $1,550 for xylophones
• Chas Pauly – $1,465 for wilderness field courses
• Matthew Brown – $1,309 for music stand and chairs for concerts
• Phil Fournier – $1,000 for a poetry and art focused field trip to the Seattle Art Museum
• Sandra Clausen – $975 for an after school culinary arts class
• Heather Teague – $900 for an infinity rig for the weight room
• Heather Ireland – $520 for a 5th Avenue theatre production
• Don Vanderholm – $500 for an academic awards ceremony
• Kamie Kronbauer and Kevin Amsden – $420 to design a mini golf course
• Katie Sperling – $292 for phonics sing-along song books and CDs
• Karoline Martin – $300 for books for middle school and high school libraries
• Kevia Helleson – $250 for a Dream Big career day
• Diana Soliday – $244 for a library in her 2nd grade classroom
• Jen Koth and Tara Janet – $175 for an energy production adventure

For more information on grant opportunities at the foundation, visit www.cfncw.org/grants.